Lack of runs 'frustrating' - Strauss

Andrew Strauss retains the belief he can return to being a force in Test cricket despite again failing to convert two starts in Galle as England slumped to a fourth straight defeat.

Strauss contributed 26 and 27 in England's two innings during their 75-run loss but insisted he feels in good form. He hasn't scored a Test hundred since Brisbane at the start of the 2010-11 Ashes - now 16 Tests ago - and the pressure has been increased by the manner of his dismissals. In the first innings he tried to sweep a delivery that was too full and in the second whipped Rangana Herath to short midwicket when trying to go over the top.

"At the moment it is frustrating me as much as anyone," he said. "I'm hitting the ball nicely and feel in good form but you're judged on your performances and I've not performed well enough. Hopefully I will put it right next week.

"Sometimes it goes with the territory and you go through periods where you can't kick on for whatever reason and then you get through it, release a barrier and you get some big scores in a row."

Strauss is now 35 but strongly resisted suggestions that time was catching up with his batting. "If you keep getting to 30 then I don't think it is a terminal decline, unless you're very unfit, which I don't think is the case with me," he said. "My job in the side is to score runs and I haven't done that as much as I would have liked over the last 12 months or so, but I want to put it right next week."

He has only been dropped once during his Test career and that was when he missed the previous tour of Sri Lanka in 2007, having failed to recover from a difficult 2006-07 Ashes series. This time his position comes with the added weight of the captaincy but, understandably midway through a series, talk of his future was off the agenda.

"Questions about my position are just not something I'm going to answer in the middle of the series. My focus is very much on winning the next game and it would be wrong to think of anything else."

Collectively, too, England continue to struggle and have posted 300 just once in four Tests this year. Again it was the first innings that proved really costly, slumping to 192 and conceding a 125-run lead to Sri Lanka. Strauss wanted to offer up something positive after Jonathan Trott's second-innings hundred gave the team hope, but it wasn't an easy task.

"It is hard to say we're making progress having lost four in a row," he said. "I think individually people's gameplans against spin have come on but we haven't showed it out in the middle. If you want to win Test matches you need to get runs on the board and we haven't done that. In the fourth innings you can understand the odd dismissal but we had less of an excuse in our first innings."

Another potential headache is an injury to Stuart Broad who was suffering from a tight right calf on the fourth day. He was clearly limping during his brief second innings but England are waiting to do a further assessment.

Broad entered the Test having picked up an injury to his left ankle slipping on the boundary rope before the first warm-up match. He was passed as fully fit for the match but was slightly below his best, bowling eight no-balls - one of which cost England the wicket of Prasanna Jayawardene on the third day when Sri Lanka's lead was a slightly more manageable 292.

Strauss has done exceptionally well with the talent he has. His natural ability is nowhere near that of some of his contemporaries and to have had the career that he has is a tribute to his willpower. At 35, he probably hasn't much time left, but when a player isn't as talented as, say, a Tendulkar, Ponting or Kallis it's hard to play at the top level for as long. I'd be surprised if he was still in the side in 2013, but he has taken a side that was in a mess in 2008 and turned it into a #1 side. That's a great legacy.

POSTED BY
JG2704
on | March 31, 2012, 8:56 GMT

@saqskhan on (March 30 2012, 06:22 AM GMT) Would you like to refresh your memory on how England did against Australia the last time we played a test series at home against them - or away for that matter? Kind of makes your list irrelevant when you are that bad with the facts.please publish this time ESPN

POSTED BY
on | March 31, 2012, 4:56 GMT

Whether win or lose, you are the No. 1 Gentleman in today's World Cricket ,.. Mr. Strauss...! I've seen so many times the way you behave in the field. Always you set examples for youngsters to learn. Everybody is having Rises and Falls in career. And I know that you bounce back very soon. We of Sri Lance always appreciare you.

POSTED BY
jb633
on | March 30, 2012, 13:12 GMT

Hahah as an England fan I find the comments of Indian fans hilarious. Yes, we have lost 4 games in a row. Yes we are struggling to come to terms with spin. But there is a huge difference between the manner in which we lost and the manner India lose. Bar one game against Pak the cricket has been competitive and we have thrown our positions of advantage away. India, gave up and leaked 600 + runs and then got skittled. There was zero enjoyment for the viewers watching the pitiful performances of your side. England are not the best side in the world, I agree SA are ahead, but please don't compare the away losses to those of India. Gutless comes to mind. So Kholi beat Pak in the Aisa cup, you lost to BD too. I completley acknowledge Eng shortcomings but please oh God, do not compare us to India.

POSTED BY
gkannuchamy
on | March 30, 2012, 11:50 GMT

England are going through a phase what other teams in the world are facing at the moment. Play well at home but lose ground overseas. There's no escape to this vicious cycle unless someone applies 'mind over matter' to bring about a turnaround.

POSTED BY
bluebillion
on | March 30, 2012, 11:40 GMT

Captian and most of the batsmen are not performaing well. Team (world number 1) has lost 4 tests in a row. Sorry but they are just not good enough and a bigger embarrassment to the number one ranking than India were - India had atleast drawn series in Australia and South Africa and won in England, West Indies, Sri Lanka, New Zealand as part of their journey and while they were number 1. Strauss with an average of 41 has never been a great batsman anyway - maybe an over hyped one.

POSTED BY
AdrianVanDenStael
on | March 30, 2012, 10:20 GMT

@ pitchcurator: to answer your question "When was the last time he [Strauss] made good scores in the sub-continent?", Strauss made a century in both innings in the first test in India in 2008. In fact, before this series he'd made three centuries in his last three tests "in the sub-continent" (India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh). In contrast he has made 1 century in his last 25 tests in England. Clearly Strauss has had plenty of problems recently, but in his case those problems do not just happen "in the sub-continent".

POSTED BY
Bramblefly
on | March 30, 2012, 9:19 GMT

Something Witty - Hallelujah and thanks for your post about the minority of fellow Aussie "fans." The game should be played hard and it is. However, none of us can influence it from here. I am just staring to think that Strauss' time will soon be up. Unless he can show some form against SL or the Windies, the latter should be his swansong with Cook stepping up. He's more than ready and is likely to become one of England's (and cricket's) great players.

POSTED BY
Marcio
on | March 30, 2012, 9:16 GMT

@atul-kumar. Sorry, I'm not a Pom! I'm an Aussie. So bashing Eng does not hurt me. In fact we can sing that song in chorus, if u like LOL. Seriously, I was just giving credit to the Old Enemy where it was due.

POSTED BY
JG2704
on | March 30, 2012, 8:53 GMT

@Something_Witty on (March 29 2012, 17:45 PM GMT) Absolutely full respect to you here. Unfortunately your words will fall on deaf ears as our responses have. I don't bother responding any more as I believe they are the same person and will never respond in turn. To be honest with you , being that Aus are statistically our biggest rivals , we only really get filth from these pair/this person and most Aussies are respectful cricket fans. Just one thing I will pick you up on , I fail to see the 10% of posts which do have factual foundation. Hope to speak again sometime. Please publish this time ESPN - this is a genuine post to a genuine cricket fan

POSTED BY
landl47
on | March 31, 2012, 13:18 GMT

Strauss has done exceptionally well with the talent he has. His natural ability is nowhere near that of some of his contemporaries and to have had the career that he has is a tribute to his willpower. At 35, he probably hasn't much time left, but when a player isn't as talented as, say, a Tendulkar, Ponting or Kallis it's hard to play at the top level for as long. I'd be surprised if he was still in the side in 2013, but he has taken a side that was in a mess in 2008 and turned it into a #1 side. That's a great legacy.

POSTED BY
JG2704
on | March 31, 2012, 8:56 GMT

@saqskhan on (March 30 2012, 06:22 AM GMT) Would you like to refresh your memory on how England did against Australia the last time we played a test series at home against them - or away for that matter? Kind of makes your list irrelevant when you are that bad with the facts.please publish this time ESPN

POSTED BY
on | March 31, 2012, 4:56 GMT

Whether win or lose, you are the No. 1 Gentleman in today's World Cricket ,.. Mr. Strauss...! I've seen so many times the way you behave in the field. Always you set examples for youngsters to learn. Everybody is having Rises and Falls in career. And I know that you bounce back very soon. We of Sri Lance always appreciare you.

POSTED BY
jb633
on | March 30, 2012, 13:12 GMT

Hahah as an England fan I find the comments of Indian fans hilarious. Yes, we have lost 4 games in a row. Yes we are struggling to come to terms with spin. But there is a huge difference between the manner in which we lost and the manner India lose. Bar one game against Pak the cricket has been competitive and we have thrown our positions of advantage away. India, gave up and leaked 600 + runs and then got skittled. There was zero enjoyment for the viewers watching the pitiful performances of your side. England are not the best side in the world, I agree SA are ahead, but please don't compare the away losses to those of India. Gutless comes to mind. So Kholi beat Pak in the Aisa cup, you lost to BD too. I completley acknowledge Eng shortcomings but please oh God, do not compare us to India.

POSTED BY
gkannuchamy
on | March 30, 2012, 11:50 GMT

England are going through a phase what other teams in the world are facing at the moment. Play well at home but lose ground overseas. There's no escape to this vicious cycle unless someone applies 'mind over matter' to bring about a turnaround.

POSTED BY
bluebillion
on | March 30, 2012, 11:40 GMT

Captian and most of the batsmen are not performaing well. Team (world number 1) has lost 4 tests in a row. Sorry but they are just not good enough and a bigger embarrassment to the number one ranking than India were - India had atleast drawn series in Australia and South Africa and won in England, West Indies, Sri Lanka, New Zealand as part of their journey and while they were number 1. Strauss with an average of 41 has never been a great batsman anyway - maybe an over hyped one.

POSTED BY
AdrianVanDenStael
on | March 30, 2012, 10:20 GMT

@ pitchcurator: to answer your question "When was the last time he [Strauss] made good scores in the sub-continent?", Strauss made a century in both innings in the first test in India in 2008. In fact, before this series he'd made three centuries in his last three tests "in the sub-continent" (India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh). In contrast he has made 1 century in his last 25 tests in England. Clearly Strauss has had plenty of problems recently, but in his case those problems do not just happen "in the sub-continent".

POSTED BY
Bramblefly
on | March 30, 2012, 9:19 GMT

Something Witty - Hallelujah and thanks for your post about the minority of fellow Aussie "fans." The game should be played hard and it is. However, none of us can influence it from here. I am just staring to think that Strauss' time will soon be up. Unless he can show some form against SL or the Windies, the latter should be his swansong with Cook stepping up. He's more than ready and is likely to become one of England's (and cricket's) great players.

POSTED BY
Marcio
on | March 30, 2012, 9:16 GMT

@atul-kumar. Sorry, I'm not a Pom! I'm an Aussie. So bashing Eng does not hurt me. In fact we can sing that song in chorus, if u like LOL. Seriously, I was just giving credit to the Old Enemy where it was due.

POSTED BY
JG2704
on | March 30, 2012, 8:53 GMT

@Something_Witty on (March 29 2012, 17:45 PM GMT) Absolutely full respect to you here. Unfortunately your words will fall on deaf ears as our responses have. I don't bother responding any more as I believe they are the same person and will never respond in turn. To be honest with you , being that Aus are statistically our biggest rivals , we only really get filth from these pair/this person and most Aussies are respectful cricket fans. Just one thing I will pick you up on , I fail to see the 10% of posts which do have factual foundation. Hope to speak again sometime. Please publish this time ESPN - this is a genuine post to a genuine cricket fan

POSTED BY
JG2704
on | March 30, 2012, 8:52 GMT

@Atul Kumar on (March 30 2012, 08:00 AM GMT) If you're trying to belittle Eng for losing to Bangladesh in the world cup of last year - was that the same Bangladesh who beat India in the more recent Asia cup and helped dump them out of the tournament? Also I believe Pakistan won that tournament , who Eng beat 4-0 so what does that say? No one's actually worried about India, It's not England fans who are stalking the Indian threads is it? Eng fans are only concerned about the next test and then the next 2 series vs WI and India for the timebeing

POSTED BY
on | March 30, 2012, 8:43 GMT

Where was the post-match interview with Andy Flower? The silence is deafening!

POSTED BY
stormy16
on | March 30, 2012, 8:15 GMT

The problem Strauss has is his failures are compounded with the team performance. But its an awfully long time without big runs. I dont think Straus should have retired from one day cricket - it put alot of pressure on him to make test runs whcih I think is partly the resons he hasnt scored those runs. If Eng lose the series it will be alot of presure to hold his spot against SA who have a serous fast bowling unit.

POSTED BY
ramli
on | March 30, 2012, 8:14 GMT

England ... losing to SL without Murali ... has lost its grip on number one spot ... they stand no chance of any redemption against any team in the sub-continent .. they have to hurriedly convene a test series (against, say NZ, WI, BD, etc. which are ready to travel at momentary invitation) .. in England ... to hold on to the ranking .. poor travellers to Asia ... are England

POSTED BY
on | March 30, 2012, 8:04 GMT

Ask him to play again against India.. he will b back in form :P

POSTED BY
on | March 30, 2012, 8:00 GMT

@Marcio don't worry about India.England can never chase 330 in 36.4 overs not even in their dreams.Come November and we will show you your real potential.You got that in the ODI series.Here speaks a man whose team lost to Ireland And Bangladesh in the world cup.

POSTED BY
rohanbala
on | March 30, 2012, 7:54 GMT

The England batsmen should take the blame for the defeat. The likes of Kevin Pietersen seem to be content in making insignificant 20s or 30s. Such contributions are hardly enough to compete against sides loaded with spinners. The first innings display itself was enough to show what the result would be. Unless the tour management makes a couple of changes, the result is most likely to be in favour of the srilankans.

POSTED BY
jonesy2
on | March 30, 2012, 7:36 GMT

My focus is very much on winning the next game and it would be wrong to think of anything else." if you want to win then start by being dropped. followed by broad, pieterson and bell

POSTED BY
parrot_22
on | March 30, 2012, 7:20 GMT

Like India, they are also struggling to score 300+ runs, India went through this phase when they were No.1, now its England turns to face the music.......

POSTED BY
saqskhan
on | March 30, 2012, 6:22 GMT

In my list, Eng is no more # 1 team, they have struggled against the team which is 4-5 in rankings. No one can retain their # 1 spot for a long time like how Aus did, Eng had always broken the trust of their hometown even at home also they play good cricket only against sub-continent teams like Ind, Pak & Sri. But when it comes to Aus, SA..they are not so good.

POSTED BY
on | March 30, 2012, 5:37 GMT

@Kavindeven. Sorry, buddy. For import, England's first preference is South Africa, and a distant second preference is Ireland. As long as these two countries has plenty to export, India has no chance. Moreover, Andy Flower is not that comfortable handling super-stars. You can see that in the equation (?) between him and someone like KP.

POSTED BY
on | March 30, 2012, 5:36 GMT

England will loose 2-0.....................they will not win in asia even against bangladesh............

POSTED BY
on | March 30, 2012, 5:28 GMT

Sorry. I meant Richard Levi from South Africa, and NOT Ed Lucas! Or, of course Stirling from Ireland!

POSTED BY
supadupamonk
on | March 30, 2012, 5:20 GMT

No Andrew...your team's number one status is really frustrating us...SA should be number one

POSTED BY
zenboomerang
on | March 30, 2012, 4:57 GMT

@3liteindia & @AdrianVanDenStael... Good comments & stats... Ponting is a recent example of an older captain failing with the bat - sacked (unofficially) at 36 but should have been 2 years earlier... Maybe with less pressure without the captaincy Strauss can focus on just playing & regain some form...

POSTED BY
Marcio
on | March 30, 2012, 4:26 GMT

The series isn't over yet. I wouldn't be surprise to see England bounce back. As for those fans (mostly Indian) saying ENG don't deserve their #1 status, you obviously have not been paying attention to results over any period of time. England won a lot of games over the past three years, and deserved the ranking (whether they'll stay there is another issue). Also these comments like "everyone is rubbish away from home" are just lame attempts to make certain supporters feel better after being annihilated in recent away series. England won the Ashes in AUS, SA are doing NZ, and AUS won ODI series in SL, SA, and Bang this past year, as well as beating SL and drawing vs SA away in tests. That is hardly "rubbish".

POSTED BY
rockyyy
on | March 30, 2012, 2:57 GMT

andrew strasss is a great ambassdor of cricket!!! he always keep the spirit of sports!!!! he is a welll respected sportsman,and wil maintain his respect whether he plays well or doesnt plays well

POSTED BY
Romenevans
on | March 30, 2012, 2:29 GMT

@ Jose Puliampatta - How about importing Dravid, Sachin and Laxman, they'll play spin well for your team.

POSTED BY
podichetty
on | March 30, 2012, 2:27 GMT

@mozoak, absolutely spot on ! england were lucky to win in australia when they were at the start of transition period, but now with their rejuvenated bowling attack, england will have a tough time even at home in the ashes. The upcoming ashes will decide how good (rather "great") england are !

POSTED BY
on | March 30, 2012, 1:38 GMT

Strauss is still quite young for retirement, by international standards. In case, if he wants to retire, a classic opener like Cook can have a dashing partner -- Ed Lucas from South Africa or Paul Stirling from Ireland. Both are explosive. Both are good import prospects. And England is quite comfortable in fielding any number of imports. Andy Flower, the Director, seems to be one of the best Import managers in business, and mentally prepared for imports -- being an import himself. And, powerful, unlike India's imported coaches. Andy, may not miss such opportunities.

POSTED BY
here2rock
on | March 30, 2012, 1:23 GMT

England is only good playing in their own backyard where you don't need to be a great bowler to take wickets. The ball either seam or swings by itself as long you have a reasonable amount of contorl. They are not good travellers when visiting sub continent teams.

POSTED BY
on | March 30, 2012, 0:38 GMT

Can England now claim as #1? The answer is big no. They can't play in subcontinent wickets. Now it's 4 in a trot.

POSTED BY
Chris_P
on | March 30, 2012, 0:25 GMT

I like Strauss, but he has struggled against quality (and some not so quality) spin bowling all his career. I am somewhat in disbelief he hasn't addressed this issue so well. Warne dominated him in 05 & 06/07, but that was brushed away saying it was Warne, not Strauss. But clearly, he is having issues and still continues to get out the same way against spinners, all these years down the track. The Poms were competitive and the test match was intriguing to watch. No matter how you feel about them, you can say the Poms offer value in watching test cricket!

POSTED BY
on | March 30, 2012, 0:10 GMT

For quite sometime now, the Captain's contribution with the bat had been like olden days English Cricket. (Non contributing with the bat)Strauss has been doing well as a Captain but here also he is slipping. It is atrocious to have picked Samit Patel ahead of Bresnen or Finn. Hie started the collapse in the II innings and his crude hit when everything looked England way cannot be pardoned.He is not the 5days game material.

POSTED BY
on | March 29, 2012, 23:07 GMT

It must also be said this England side also lost its last tour of the West Indies .Of course they wil be triumphant when the West indies go there later and Strauss will finally find his "form"".

POSTED BY
JG2704
on | March 29, 2012, 23:06 GMT

@Charlie_Ellis on (March 29 2012, 19:12 PM GMT) To be honest I actually do worry about our depth in batting. Of those you mentioned , Bairstow delivered twice in about 10 combined T20/OD inns , Bopara seems to only deliver when the pressure is off , Morgan seems to have regressed and I'm not sure he is a test batsman , Taylor was fairly poor on the Lions tour (albeit 50 over games) and Hildreth had an awful season for Somerset last year and might not even be nailed on to play for his county side. I feel when you have so much depth in bowling and so little in batting you should go with 5 bowlers. At least there is more competition for places if there are less places if you catch my drift

POSTED BY
Mervo
on | March 29, 2012, 23:01 GMT

I suspect that part of the problem is that they recruit, or attract, so many South African developed players (Strauss, Prior, Petersen, Trott and so on). Most of these players see far less spin bowling in their formative years and thus today seem to struggle on the sub-continent pitches. They are fine on swing and seam friendly pitches. Like India, they have become lions at home. Maybe if the English recruitment and cricket development systems were changed, that would help?

POSTED BY
Maccanui
on | March 29, 2012, 22:32 GMT

The main thing is that Swann was able to talk a big game about how england were going to break records and win.

POSTED BY
deol84
on | March 29, 2012, 21:30 GMT

England side is quite good but well below average when playing in subcontinent,piterson very over rated player,well done to trott and bell played good cricket.Hard to understand why england doing badly against average spin bowling,if legendary bowlers like the great murli and malinga was playing this test match it could be all over in two days.Comon england admit it you are not no1 side but just only a good cricket team.

POSTED BY
Cpt.Meanster
on | March 29, 2012, 21:06 GMT

Andrew Strauss is a decent player with a severe weakness against spin bowling. In fact pretty much every England batsman except Ian Bell have problems against spin. They simply don't have any answers to that. They will continue to struggle in Asia. The template for being no.1 for a long time is to successfully perform at home and overseas. The WI team of the 80s beat every team home and away. The Aussies of the 90s and early 2000s were successful everywhere except India but they too managed to beat India in 2004. So England and their fans need to understand that simply winning against an injury-prone and aging Indian team at home one summer doesn't reflect much. This also proves another point: the ICC rankings is severely flawed in its present state.

POSTED BY
NorCalMan66
on | March 29, 2012, 21:01 GMT

How am I not surprised by the result. Well done SL. Why do we even bother following the English Team(s) - Cricket Soccer Tennis etc. etc. Have they ever won anything of significance like a World Cup or a World Championship or maybe a simple Grand Slam event ? Nothing that I can recall in the last 25 - 30 years.
To all the English Players - Talk is Cheap !!

POSTED BY
on | March 29, 2012, 19:29 GMT

U await a white wash Mr England. U are good only on your Pitches

POSTED BY
Charlie_Ellis
on | March 29, 2012, 19:12 GMT

Strauss's position is safe for now because England won't want to give Cook too much more to focus on than runscoring at the moment, and there are very few genuine contenders in the County game to replace him at the top of the order. Taylor, Bairstow, Bopara, Hildreth and Morgan all look like viable Test options at number 5 or 6, but the top order options are much sparser. Carberry, his domestic triple ton aside, hasn't really kicked on since his debut in Bangladesh (admittedly mostly due to his health problems), and other than that Hales is raw and Taylor's few goes at the top hardly prove his suitability. Regardless of what Strauss and co manage in the 2nd Test, I'm sure they'll be given the summer to try and rectify the many wrongs of the winter. And with WI first up I'm sure they'll fill their boots. But then probably fail the test of patience and technique again in India in November...

POSTED BY
switchmitch
on | March 29, 2012, 19:01 GMT

This mediocre bunch of cricketers were looking like world beaters when they were playing against a very mediocre India. Looks like reality has caught up with hype. This team is no better than the Indian team. - tigers at home and kitten abroad. They had a good run for a while because they managed to catch AUS when they were in the early stages of transition. This Ashes series will give us a real picture...

POSTED BY
the_blue_android
on | March 29, 2012, 18:52 GMT

5 more test matches to go boys...

POSTED BY
on | March 29, 2012, 18:37 GMT

Captain should lead from the front. Strauss isn't in good touch from long time.

POSTED BY
ansarri
on | March 29, 2012, 18:34 GMT

He needs to play in ODIs for England if he wants to return to form.

POSTED BY
on | March 29, 2012, 18:12 GMT

england can never dominate an era. They are showing it once again. They are tigers at home and cows abroad particularly in subcontinent. True champions perform well everywhere.

POSTED BY
on | March 29, 2012, 17:59 GMT

England should play a series against India. That'll solve that problem.

POSTED BY
Something_Witty
on | March 29, 2012, 17:45 GMT

@jonesy2 and @RandOZ... as a fellow Australian supporter I really feel obliged to say that your antics are an embarrassment to the rest of us. Strauss has been an excellent performer for England (not just with the bat, his captaincy and leadership carries weight too) for a substantial period. The fact that he is experiencing a slump as he nears the end of his career is no shame. Ricky Ponting only just came out of a similar slump. Please, it would be nice if the both of you would stop with the one-eyed jingoistic comments. 90% of them have no statistical or factual basis and can only be for the purpose of inciting supporters from the opposite teams. How about this. Instead of simply ridiculing an adversary who loses, give credit where credit is due to those who play GOOD cricket, regardless of size. To all the England supporters, please simply ignore the ridiculous comments of people like Randy and jonesy. I'm sure one day they'll realise what it is to support cricket and not just Aus.

POSTED BY
Lalindapalli
on | March 29, 2012, 17:43 GMT

The second test is going to be played at PSS, which is not as spin friendly as Galle. As England was not far behind in Galle plus they can get some feedback from the first test, there will be a great opportunity for them to level the series. However, Sri Lanka batsmen score better in Colombo as they mostly practice on these pitches. The lack of strength in the Sri Lankan pace unit could become more significant. But, I think England pace attack is also seriously being affected by injuries, heat, and the moral ( lack of green on the surface). Could this lead to a draw? I am a Sri Lankan supporter and looking forward to the next match on Tuesday.

POSTED BY
on | March 29, 2012, 17:22 GMT

Struss plz invite indian team to get your batting form back ;-)

POSTED BY
voma
on | March 29, 2012, 17:09 GMT

@RandyOz , we can remember the Ashes mate .

POSTED BY
PBs09
on | March 29, 2012, 17:07 GMT

I stopped reading after "being a force in Test cricket". Nope, not happening son.

POSTED BY
on | March 29, 2012, 16:52 GMT

Strauss is a good calming influence. He is a good batsman and a good leader. Give the man a break and support him.

POSTED BY
voma
on | March 29, 2012, 16:49 GMT

The damage was done in Englands first innings , but how much longer can Andrew Strauss be given ? . He is an attacking and exciting batsman , when everything is working fine . But hes in the side to score runs , as an opening batsman . To be fair though , hes not the only one who is underperforming .

POSTED BY
krnataraj
on | March 29, 2012, 16:37 GMT

welcome to the sub-continent world number one team!!

POSTED BY
Romenevans
on | March 29, 2012, 16:16 GMT

Accept the fact that you're a green top bully and can not play spin at all on "Flat Tracks". Oh Wait, flat tracks are like a walk in the park. Easy isn't it, then what happens to these ""Though cricket players, playing toughest cricket in Eng, SA and Aus?"" Flat tracks for them should be dead easy no?

POSTED BY
Nadeem1976
on | March 29, 2012, 15:49 GMT

This is not the way number 1 test ranked team plays. England is not good enough against spin bowling at all. They got to improve their batting against spin otherwise they will lose their #1 rank this year surely.

Some one got to play well the spin.

POSTED BY
AdrianVanDenStael
on | March 29, 2012, 15:25 GMT

Here's a comparison of two Middlesex opening batsmen and England captains. Mike Brearley in his last 29 tests (1977-81, aged 35-39), all as England captain: runs 994, average 22, highest score 81, centuries 0. Andrew Strauss in his last (to this point) 29 tests (2009-12, aged 32-34), all as England captain: runs about 1500, average 32, highest score 110, centuries 1. In Brearley's 29 tests England won 17 drew 8 lost 4: in Strauss's they've won 15 drew 6 lost 8. There were plenty of differences between the times these two played (and in their test careers before these batches of 29 tests), but both Brearley and Strauss each seemed to inspire people to ask the question; are they bringing enough to the team as captain to justify the deficiencies in their batting performances? How well would the team cope without them?

POSTED BY
pitch_curator
on | March 29, 2012, 15:15 GMT

You have to hand it to the English when it comes to all talk and no performance... Yesterday it was Swann talking about them being favorites to chase 300+, now it is their captain talking as if he is Bradman re-incarnated. When was the last time he made good scores in the sub-continent? Now, where are the English commentators who were talking non-sense during the India series. I do not see them making any statements in any columns. If anyone thought this is bad, then wait till this # 1 team tours India and South Africa tour England...

POSTED BY
playitstraight
on | March 29, 2012, 14:52 GMT

Well of course, the captain has to lead from the front. Mahela, Sanga, and Clarke are just a few to point out. In SL's first innings, if not for Mahela's majestic 180, then SL would have probably lost this Test. You can't complain about others not performing, you have to perform first and be a role model. If Strauss thinks he is not batting well, then maybe he should just give the captaincy to Cook, and solely focus on his batting.

POSTED BY
jonesy2
on | March 29, 2012, 14:34 GMT

haha what? he has never been a "force". never been up to test standard the fact that he is still there shows what a joke england are

POSTED BY
zuber21886
on | March 29, 2012, 14:30 GMT

haaaa England you are just good on your own pitches and maybe australian grounds. Now let the experts say who deserves to be No.1, when this team was beating India

POSTED BY
on | March 29, 2012, 14:23 GMT

STRUSS u r g8 player ,its ok sometimes happend but plz take out patel and in bopara...... thanks

POSTED BY
on | March 29, 2012, 14:21 GMT

England fans would love to see their captain performing well in the next match. Best of luck Mr. Strauss. I think he is one of the calm characters in the word cricket.

POSTED BY
sasi
on | March 29, 2012, 14:20 GMT

Things seems to fall into script, yet another english caption is destined to resign at the end of the summer by Grame smith and his men.

POSTED BY
RandyOZ
on | March 29, 2012, 14:19 GMT

Andrew Strauss would have to be the worst batsmen in international cricket right now. He is embarassing to watch. He should watch the video of MEK Hussey tearing it up in SL. 3 MoM awards and a series win for Oz, not that England can remember what a series win tastes like.

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POSTED BY
RandyOZ
on | March 29, 2012, 14:19 GMT

Andrew Strauss would have to be the worst batsmen in international cricket right now. He is embarassing to watch. He should watch the video of MEK Hussey tearing it up in SL. 3 MoM awards and a series win for Oz, not that England can remember what a series win tastes like.

POSTED BY
sasi
on | March 29, 2012, 14:20 GMT

Things seems to fall into script, yet another english caption is destined to resign at the end of the summer by Grame smith and his men.

POSTED BY
on | March 29, 2012, 14:21 GMT

England fans would love to see their captain performing well in the next match. Best of luck Mr. Strauss. I think he is one of the calm characters in the word cricket.

POSTED BY
on | March 29, 2012, 14:23 GMT

STRUSS u r g8 player ,its ok sometimes happend but plz take out patel and in bopara...... thanks

POSTED BY
zuber21886
on | March 29, 2012, 14:30 GMT

haaaa England you are just good on your own pitches and maybe australian grounds. Now let the experts say who deserves to be No.1, when this team was beating India

POSTED BY
jonesy2
on | March 29, 2012, 14:34 GMT

haha what? he has never been a "force". never been up to test standard the fact that he is still there shows what a joke england are

POSTED BY
playitstraight
on | March 29, 2012, 14:52 GMT

Well of course, the captain has to lead from the front. Mahela, Sanga, and Clarke are just a few to point out. In SL's first innings, if not for Mahela's majestic 180, then SL would have probably lost this Test. You can't complain about others not performing, you have to perform first and be a role model. If Strauss thinks he is not batting well, then maybe he should just give the captaincy to Cook, and solely focus on his batting.

POSTED BY
pitch_curator
on | March 29, 2012, 15:15 GMT

You have to hand it to the English when it comes to all talk and no performance... Yesterday it was Swann talking about them being favorites to chase 300+, now it is their captain talking as if he is Bradman re-incarnated. When was the last time he made good scores in the sub-continent? Now, where are the English commentators who were talking non-sense during the India series. I do not see them making any statements in any columns. If anyone thought this is bad, then wait till this # 1 team tours India and South Africa tour England...

POSTED BY
AdrianVanDenStael
on | March 29, 2012, 15:25 GMT

Here's a comparison of two Middlesex opening batsmen and England captains. Mike Brearley in his last 29 tests (1977-81, aged 35-39), all as England captain: runs 994, average 22, highest score 81, centuries 0. Andrew Strauss in his last (to this point) 29 tests (2009-12, aged 32-34), all as England captain: runs about 1500, average 32, highest score 110, centuries 1. In Brearley's 29 tests England won 17 drew 8 lost 4: in Strauss's they've won 15 drew 6 lost 8. There were plenty of differences between the times these two played (and in their test careers before these batches of 29 tests), but both Brearley and Strauss each seemed to inspire people to ask the question; are they bringing enough to the team as captain to justify the deficiencies in their batting performances? How well would the team cope without them?

POSTED BY
Nadeem1976
on | March 29, 2012, 15:49 GMT

This is not the way number 1 test ranked team plays. England is not good enough against spin bowling at all. They got to improve their batting against spin otherwise they will lose their #1 rank this year surely.